Take Care of You
by iwilldeduceyoulove
Summary: Stelena fluff. Elena feels overwhelmed and Stefan tries to comfort her. Rated M for a reason.
1. Chapter 1

**Here is a little Stelena fluff, since it is seriously lacking in the show right now. This is set somewhere in season 4, wherever you want really, Elena is pretty much always overwhelmed. **

Elena sighed, closing the door to her house behind her. She looked around. It was dark and empty.

_Jeremy must be out_. She thought to herself idly, walking up the stairs to her room.

_It's Thursday._ She remembered suddenly. That meant that Jeremy would be working at the Grill.

_At least he's doing something normal_. She told herself. He needed more normal. They all needed more normal.

She walked slowly into her room, switching the light on and dropping her purse on the floor. She turned around, looking in the mirror on the wall and frowned at her reflection. Her eyes had dark circles under them, making her resemble a skeleton, and they held a weariness that her body and mind felt more acutely than she showed. She looked like she was barely keeping it together.

She grimaced, reaching a hand back to massage her neck, letting her head fall down to meet her chest.

Suddenly she felt two strong, calloused hands on her shoulders, the thumbs gently kneading her tense muscles.

She moaned softly, relaxing back into the firm chest behind her.

"Hello." Elena greeted Stefan quietly, resting her head against his neck.

"Hello." He murmured in return. "Feeling a little stressed?" he asked, moving his hands up further to work on her neck muscles.

She moaned again, feeling her muscles relaxing under his touch. "Mhm." She answered, not wanting to form words.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked, concern coloring his voice.

She thought for a moment, wondering if she should tell him. She didn't want him blaming himself for everything that was happening but she wanted to tell him, to be open with him.

"I'm just tired Stefan." She said quietly.

Something in her voice made Stefan stop moving his hands, to which Elena immediately protested, and turn her around to look at him.

"Elena?" he questioned, his eyes searching her face.

She sighed, knowing it would bother him until she explained.

"It's just too much, Stefan, none of it ever ends. It's one bad guy to the next, one death after another. I just…I'm so tired…and" her voice died out and she turned her face to look at the ground, avoiding his gaze.

"This is my fault." He whispered painfully.

Elena's head snapped up. "No, Stefan, don't you dare start thinking like that. Without you I wouldn't be here. You saved me, in more ways than one."

"Elena, if it wasn't for me none of this would be happening." He said, ignoring her words.

"Stefan, look at me." Elena said her voice strengthening as she placed a hand on his cheek.

Stefan's eyes slowly moved up to meet Elena's.

"I love you." She said, looking into his eyes. He met her gaze for a moment, his face softening into a look of wonder and adoration.

"I love you, Elena." He whispered back, his face clear of the guilt it had held seconds earlier.

She breathed a sigh of relief, leaning forward to rest her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her gently, wondering how he had captured the love of this beautiful angel. He didn't deserve her, he knew.

His poor, sweet Elena. He could practically feel the weariness radiating off of her and the tension in her muscles. He wanted to take it all away.

"Let me take care of you." He whispered to her. She lifted her head off his chest to meet his gaze. She smiled softly, seeing the love in his eyes.

"Okay." She whispered back. She trusted him completely, always.

He smiled back, bringing his hands up to caress her cheeks before kissing her forehead gently.

"Come on." He murmured to her, taking her hand and leading her to the bathroom. She followed willingly, curious as to what he had in mind.

**So I do want to continue this but reviews would make me feel happy and appreciated! Review and let me know what you think and/or where you want me to go with it? Thanks for reading! And yes I will be updating my Klaroline fic eventually; this was just a plot bunny that came to me while writing a Lit paper :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to the reviews I got on the last chapter! I really appreciated them! You guys made me smile. So I know this is two updates in one day but I really love this story and I'm feeling exceedingly sappy at the moment. This one made me smile. I hope you like it. I'm changing the rating even though nothing actually sexual has happened. You can never be too careful.**

Stefan led Elena into her bathroom, letting go of her hand as he walked towards the tub and reached down to turn on the hot water.

She leaned against the wall as he went about preparing a bath, finding her bath salts and bubbles in the cabinet and picking out a combination she had never tried before. She had no idea how he knew where any of that was but it made her warm inside to watch him take such care in drawing a bath for her. It was so…domestic. She loved it.

Once the bath was done he turned back to her, smiling softly. She pulled her weight off the wall as he walked towards her.

Stefan moved his hands to cradle her face, pulling himself in to kiss her on her forehead.

Slowly he kissed a path to her cheeks, then to her chin, the tip of her nose, and then, finally, her lips.

The kiss was slow and gentle but it sent tingles down Elena's spine.

Eventually, Stefan broke the kiss, leaving Elena breathing a bit heavier than before. He smile again and moved his hands down from her face to graze the bottom of her shirt.

He began kissing her again, leaving a trail down her neck and moving down to her collarbone where he nipped at her playfully.

Elena giggled and ran her fingers through his hair, relishing in its softness.

He smiled against her skin and grabbed the bottom of her shirt, slowly pulling it up; he moved his lips to her stomach, trailing kisses up her skin as her shirt rose. She raised her arms, allowing him to pull the shirt off of her body.

He tossed her shirt onto the floor, returning his attention to kissing her.

He reached his hands around her back, unclipping her bra and tossing it onto the floor with her shirt.

Elena waited to see what he would do next, curious to see if he would turn this into something sexual, but instead of teasing her breasts like he would before sex, he merely kissed the tops of them gently, his hands beginning to work on the button of her pants.

He eased her pants and panties off, and then trailed kisses down each of her legs, taking off her shoes and socks when he got to her feet.

He stood up after discarding her shoes and socks, bringing his lips to hers again.

"I love you." He murmured, running his fingers through her hair gently.

Elena sighed in contentment at the feeling of his fingers moving through her hair. In a situation like this she would have thought that she'd want to jump his bones and beg him to make love to her but, to her surprise, she felt differently.

It was as if every kiss and every touch left his love on her skin. She felt warm and content.

She wasn't ruling out sex. It could definitely happen tonight and she would be more than willing but, at this point, she relished the feeling of him worshiping in her body in a non-sexual way. She felt respected. She felt loved.

Stefan smiled at the look of contentment on Elena's face. The tension and weariness in her body seemed to be slowly disappearing.

He felt a rush of pride at the realization that he caused that.

Moving slowly, he picked Elena up, holding her in his arms, and carried her, bridal style, to the bathtub.

Elena giggled. "You spoil me." She said lightly.

Stefan smiled. "You deserve it." He answered with a look in his eyes that made Elena feel like he was reading her soul.

He placed her gently into the warm water, and she sighed as she sank down into what felt like a bubbly, scented heaven.

He shed his clothes quickly, tossing them in a pile on the floor and joined her in the bath, positioning them so she rested on his chest in the warm water.

Elena laid her head on Stefan's shoulder, looking up at him, smiling. He returned her gaze and placed a light kiss on her mouth, feeling her lips curving into a smile against his.

"Do you know that I love you?" he asked her lightly. "And that you are beautiful?" he moved his hands to her shoulders, beginning to massage them.

Elena moaned, relaxing further into his chest.

"And that I will always protect you and always love you? You are the light of my life. You are perfect." He continued, kneading her muscles and feeling them relax under his hands.

Stefan continued, beginning to list off all the things he loved about her. Her smile, the way she laughed when they were alone, the smell of her hair, the way she looked at him from across a room, the way her eyes expressed her emotions, her strength, her ability to love, her ability to forgive. The list went on and on.

Elena smiled, thinking that if she could, she would stay in this moment forever with him, the man she loved, and never ever leave.

**I hope you liked it! I will probably continue because I'm a sap but review anyway to make me feel good! Thank you for reading! Follow me to get the next chapter. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry it took so long to update! Life has been crazy this past week. Here is Chapter 3. It gets a bit…heated. There are no in-depth descriptions but its rated M for a reason! Enjoy!**

"I love you. I love you. I love you." Stefan murmured against Elena's skin as he trailed kisses up her neck to reach her mouth.

Once there he kissed her slowly, gently. It was the kind of kiss that was so full of love it made her want to cry. She could feel his every feeling towards her in the way his lips moved against hers and every thought was communicated through the dancing of their tongues, twisting around each other.

After a minute the kiss transformed into pecks, his lips caressing hers in small movements.

Elena sighed contentedly as Stefan's mouth stilled against hers. He picked his head up to look in her eyes, his face warm and loving.

He smiled and quickly flipped them over, allowing her to rest on him. Elena laid her head on his chest, breathing in his scent, her lips curving into a smile.

She felt clean, warm, and loved. After a luxuriously long bath and massage, Stefan had dried them both with a fluffy towel and then had taken her to bed.

They lay together, naked and intertwined. Elena felt completely comfortable with Stefan like this. She trusted him implicitly with her body, her life, and her heart.

He accepted her for everything she was. She had never felt so loved.

What would she do if she lost him?

The thought created a sudden sadness that filled her and she felt a tear leak out of her eye and fall onto his chest.

Stefan tensed underneath her.

"Elena?" his voice was alarmed. He tried to look at her face but she moved her head to hide herself from him.

"Elena, look at me." He pleaded. He moved his hands to cradle her head, running his fingers through her hair soothingly. "Elena, love." He whispered to her.

She sniffled softly and picked her head up to look at him, slightly ashamed of the tears that were falling steadily from her eyes.

His brow furrowed and he reached his thumbs to her cheeks, wiping away her tears.

"Elena, what's wrong?" his eyes searched hers, worried at the sudden change in her emotions.

She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts.

He waited for her to speak, his hands still cradling her head.

"I just. I've lost so much, Stefan. And…and if I lose you…I – I don't think I could…Stefan I…" her tears increased, her words interrupted by small sobs and gasps.

"Hey. No no no no." he shushed her gently. "No sweetheart, don't think like that. Come here." He murmured to her, pulling her gently back into his chest and wrapping his arms around her tightly.

"I'm not going anywhere. Okay?" he murmured, kissing her hair. "You won't lose me, Elena. I promise." His voice was solemn.

She nodded into his chest to show him that she understood, trying to stop her pitiful sobs, but she only cried harder, making Stefan hold her closer to him.

He held her as she cried, his heart aching as he felt her small form shake in his arms. He knew what it was like to lose everyone you loved. He knew the fear of not wanting to lose another person, one of the only people you had left. He understood that all too well.

She sniffled, her sobs quieting. "I'm being ridiculous aren't I?" she whispered, her voice painfully sad to Stefan's ears.

"No, Elena, no…not even close." He whispered to her, kissing the top of her head.

Elena sniffled again and lifted her head off Stefan's chest, looking him in the eyes.

His eyes searched hers, trying to understand the look in them. Tears still streaming down her face, her brown eyes were full of sadness, but also a look of resignation, and…something else. It was almost desire, maybe even desperation.

His brow furrowed, trying to understand the message in her eyes.

"Make love to me, Stefan." She whispered, a definite hint of desperation coloring her words. "Promise me I'll never lose you, Stefan please. Make love to me." She begged him, seeing the confusion in his eyes.

She wanted, no, she needed to feel his love for her. She needed him to fill her, to take over her senses, to kiss her until she forgot everything but him.

He remained still for a moment, looking at her, a war raging behind his eyes.

Then, after a moment, he kissed her.

It started gentle but soon escalated into something more heated, their bodies beginning to move together.

He made love to her like she begged him to, doing everything she asked, everything she needed. He took her to the precipice of ecstasy and time and time again held her as she crashed over the edge.

He made her forget everything but his scent, the feeling of his lips on her skin, the feeling of him inside her, and the joy of their being together, of every move being synchronized.

And when it was over and she felt like she would pass out from exhaustion, he trailed kisses over her body, making her shiver.

Elena smiled as Stefan came to rest beside her, pulling her in to cuddle with him. She sighed contentedly, her eyes drooping.

"I love you Elena and I promise you, you will not lose me, I'll be right here." were the last words she heard before she fell into a peaceful sleep.

**Phew! That was my first time writing anything remotely smutty and sharing it with the world but I thought it fit nice. Hope you liked it! Review? Thanks for reading! xoxo**


End file.
